Finding the Ways around a Tree

 My fiancé is a golf coach for the high school girls’ team.  He has been very successful in this role, and I am very proud of all his accolades.  This year his team won their conference, and they will be going to the state golf meet for the third year in a row. I love going to meets and seeing them compete or hearing about how they are doing by following online if I can’t be there in person.  He will often talk about the meets and things he is teaching his athletes, so they can make better choices in future meets. 

One decision he is hoping his golfers will soon learn will be going around a tree or obstacle properly.  Sometimes his golfers, like all golfers have found themselves at times, will be directly behind the tree.  Sometimes what golfers, including myself, will do is try to go through the tree or over the tree.  This can work, but it also sometimes doesn’t work well at all. A golfer has to be lucky and/or very skilled to hit it just right in that position.  Sometimes it will just hit the tree and then go back farther than it was originally, or it will be in an even worse spot than it was before.  

The more strategic way to get around this obstacle is taking another golf stroke and hitting your ball towards the fairway (the grass leading up to the hole).  This takes more time, but it is also more reasonable of an option than taking the chance of going through the tree.   When choosing to take more time and one more swing, this will have a better chance of the ball having a good position of the hole,which could overall, lessen the frustration.  

This is a good reminder to sometimes spend more time on something than we would have originally expected, but it is better than having to rush through certain obstacles or problems.  Sometimes when we do rush through them, this may end up causing more issues or problems.  Sometimes we need to make sure we talk about the steps necessary for solving any life struggle or problem. 

For another good life example, I am in the process of moving.  For the most part, it is done.  I have put all my materials and objects in boxes, moved those boxes to the new place, and then slowly I have gotten the chance to put almost everything away in the new place.  It was very important to not just throw things around or throw things in a car and then throw them all the different ways.  If you really want to make sure the moving is done well and right, there needs to be some thought and time given to it. 

I discovered the big way I tend to cut corners is when I am cleaning.  I don’t always like to spend the same amount of time cleaning as is recommended.  I don’t have much enthusiasm, if any at all, to really take the time to dust all the areas, vacuum all the places, and clean all the other grime areas in the house or in the apartment.  I was very appreciative of my grandma who helped me do the final clean of my apartment before I officially moved to the new place where Cole and I will officially live after we get married. 

There are definitely other examples.  These are just a few.  The point is to realize that when we are in certain situations, we need to be willing to do the hard work.  We need to do a good job of following the protocols and the procedures when encountering stops or having problems we now need to deal with.  We can’t just rush through issues and problems.  It could end up getting a lot worse if we do not take the time to really do everything right.  I once heard a saying, “if you do not have time to do something right the first time, will you really have time to do it a second time?”  (John Wooden-Basketball Hall of Fame) It is a good reminder to be consistently taking time on things the right way, the very first time. 

One verse I want to highlight is John 14:27 which says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”  I love this verse for many different reasons.  I do believe it includes great comfort in knowing God will be there for us and help us in all situations and reminds us that the world will not give or treat us as the world does.  This is a good reminder we need to do something different because the Lord has decided we need to do things differently than the world has told us or has shown us through other’s actions.  

The challenge for this week is to spend a bit of time wondering if there is anything you try to cut corners on.  Are there sometimes when you try to take the easy way out of something?  You may try to do something that has not been recommended, just because you believe in your heart there is an easier way, or you don’t have to take as much time.  Are there times you want to cut corners? 

This could even be at work, when you don’t feel the need to do absolutely everything your boss has told you, the exact way it has been advised or recommended.  This could be at church through not completely following through on the Bible reading plan you have declared to be starting.  There are so many ways we don’t like to do everything full-fledged, but ultimately, this just may end up costing us more in the end.  Whatever is the main area of times when you don’t do things as completely well as you should, I do want you to feel challenged to take a bit more time this next week on them.